Parties and Happenings

Bonfires of Saint John is a popular festival celebrated around 24 June (Saint Johns day) in several towns in Spain. The festival is celebrated throughout many cities and towns; however, the largest one is in Alicante, where it is considered to be the most important festival in the city. For this festival, people gather together and create large bonfires from any kind of wood and also old furniture, and share hot chocolate while teens and children jump over the fires.

Semana Santa
Also called the holy week, is a major happening in Spain. A tradition that dates back from medieval times which has spread to all the cities in Spain. The “Semana Santa en Sevilla” is notable for featuring the procession of “pasos”, lifelike wood or plaster sculptures of individual scenes of the events that happened between Jesus his arrest and burial, or images of the Virgin Mary showing grief for the torture and killing of her son. These lifelike wooden or plaster sculptures are called “tronos” and they are carried through the streets by penitents dressed in long purple robes, often with pointed hats, followed by women in black carrying candles for up to 11 hours. These pasos and tronos are physically carried on the shoulders of costaleros (literally “sack men”) and can weigh up to five metric tons.

Carnaval
Carnaval in Spain always includes exuberant parades in a traditional Brazilian samba atmosphere. Associations, sewing ateliers, singing and dance groups and orchestras prepare costumes and acts for months in advance. Girls and women do strength training so they are able to carry the wide and heavy costumes for hours with a smile on their face. It is a matter of glamour and extravagance. Of course, also respond to current issues with humor and creativity. Carnaval is celebrated in every town, but the most known parades are performed in Pego, in the north of the Costa Blanca (near Denia), and Aguilas in the south of the province of Murcia. But the parades of Torrevieja, Benidorm, Murica, and Cartagena are also definitely worth to see.

Moros y christianos
The festivals commemorate the battles, combats and fights between Moors (or Muslims) and Christians during the period known as Reconquista (from the 8th century through the 15th century). The festivals represent the capture of the city by the Moors and the subsequent Christian reconquest. The people that take part in the festival are usually enlisted in filaes or comparsas (companies that represent the Christian or Moor legions), and for several days, they parade with bombastic costumes loosely inspired by Medieval fashion. Christians wear fur, metallic helmets, and armor, fire loud arquebuses, and ride horses. In contrast, Moors wear ancient Arab costumes, carry scimitars, and ride real camels or elephants. The festival develops among shots of gunpowder, medieval music, and fireworks, and ends with the Christians winning a simulated battle around a castle.